Pontoon structure



L. A. BERTHOLF PONTOON STRUCTURE Jan. 24, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, 1965 /NVENTO/i. Lawrence A.Be'rtholf ATTORNEY.

Jan. 24, 1967 L. A. BERTHOLF v PONTOON STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 24

FIG.5

FIG.4 I

INVENTOR. Lawrence ABeriholf ATTORNEY United States Patent Office Patented Jan. 24, 1967 3,299,847 PONTOON STRUCTURE Lawrence A. Bertholf, 98 Marilynn St., East Islip, Long Island, N.Y. 11730 Filed Aug. 24, 1965, Ser. N0. 483,906 Claims. (Cl. 114-.5)

This invention relates to pontoons and to structure made therefrom.

Pontoons have been made for many years. They were originally used to make temporary bridges and were especially useful in the military field to effect rapid river crossings for troops and their supply vehicles.

The pontoon structures of the prior art were often hollow tubular devices without internal structural members so that they became relatively weak transversely as their length increased longitudinally.

Moreover, the individual tubular type pontoons of the prior art were generally provided with a round or flat keel so that they lacked good maneuverability when provided with motor power.

Moreover, prior art pontoons were sinkable when water filled.

These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the pontoons of this invention.

It is an object of this invention to provide non-sinkable pontoons having a plurality of uses.

It is another object to provide longitudinal pontoons adapted for propulsion by gasoline motors and having a longitudinal tank disposed as far as possible above the water line.

It is another object to provide pontoons with a stern structure adapted to receive a gasoline powered motor.

It is a further object to provide a pontoon with a V- shaped prow and V-shaped keel.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following disclosure herein.

This invention is described by means of a plurality of illustrative embodiments thereof as shown in the accompanying drawing and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the pontoon,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the pontoon showing the keel and bow structure and taken on line 22 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the pontoon showing the entire configuration of the keel and taken on line 33 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a transverse section view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a transverse section view of a modified pontoon,

FIG. 6 is a front view of the pontoon, and

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a plurality of pontoons secured in spaced-apart relationship to a fiat platform adapted to support a cabin to form a houseboat.

The pontoons of this invention have a multiplicity of uses, for example, they are useable for constructing military pontoon bridges, for pleasure craft or houseboats, and many other uses.

They may be used alone or in combination with a platform to secure two or more pontoons together to form a raft.

Turning to the drawing, a longitudinal tubular rectangular casing 19, preferably of substantially a square transverse configuration, is provided with an open stern 11 adapted to receive a gasoline motor of the inboard or outboard type.

The pontoon casing 10 and its stern 11 may be made of metal such as suitable aluminum alloy, stainless steel, and the like or it may be made of plastic material such as glass fiber reenforced polyester resin, and the like.

Preferably, the casing and stern are of integral or bonded construction.

Moreover, the casing 10 is preferably provided with suitable partition walls 12 for strength purposes and to compartmentalize the pontoon.

An important feature of this invention is the provision of a V-shaped prow which diverges and then converges to a longitudinal V-shaped keel which keel tapers to the stern.

The pontoon casing 10 is provided with a cross plate 13 (FIG. 4) in suitable spaced-apart relationship to the top wall 14 to thereby form an integrated gas tank of rectangular cross-section.

Furthermore, the pontoons are each provided with a pair of lateral rails 15 disposed on the opposing side walls of the casing 10, and adapted to receive means for securing to the platform 16 (FIG. 7). v

The interior of the casing 10 may be provided with a cylindrical tube 18 adapted to internally engage all four walls of the casing. Also in lieu of the cylindrical tube 18 an equivalent structure of polygonal configuration may be used. Thus as shown in FIG. 5, the interior of the casing 10 is provided with a pair of similar flat angle plates 19, each plate 19 engaging the top wall, the bottom Wall and a respective side wall of the casing 10.

The cylindrical tube 18 and the pair of angle plates 19 provide throughout an internal bracing for the casing.

Clearly, other configurations for internal bracing of casing 10 are operable and within the scope of the invention.

Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the interior chambers of the pontoon are filled with highly buoyant material 20 to make the pontoon unsinkable.

Preferably, polystyrene foam is used but any other buoyant conventional plastic material is operable. Also in lieu of plastic material, naturally buoyant material such as cork or balsa wood is operable.

The pontoon itself is preferably made of water tight construction, for example, as by welding of the plates thereof so that it is naturally buoyant. However, in case of accident or in case of leakage the pontoon can not fill up with water due to the presence of the buoyant material 20.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the pontoon of this invention is provided with a unique prow which merges into a unique keel.

The prow and keel are provided with a continuous V- shaped construction. The prow starts at the bow 21 and diverges uniformly to both sides of the pontoon to engage thet casing 10 at points 20a and 21. The prow then converges to points 22 and 23 to form the V-shaped keel 24 (FIGS. 4 and 5) disposed centrally and lengthwise of the pontoon.

Thus the prow has bottom rearwardly sloping flat walls 25 and 26, on each side of the pontoon, where the prow converges to points 22 and 23.

The edge 27 of the keel is linearand extends from the prow point 28 to stern points 29 and 29X. From stern points 29 and 29X the keel converges to a point or apex 30.

As shown in FIG. 3, the keel converges twice, once from points 20a, 21 to points 22 and 23 and again from points 29, 29X to the apical point 30.

Such a unique keel is particularly effective in maneuvering the pontoon.

The keel 24 is also filled with buoyant material 20. It preferably is integral or welded to the bottom wall of the casing 10.

The pontoon of this invention may be made in sections separated by compartment walls 12 and then united into a unitary pontoon or the pontoon may be made from individual longitudinal plates forming in effect a substan- 3 tially' square tube Which is later provided with compartment walls 12.

A conventional motor 30, for example, an outboard motor, is secured to the inwardly sloping stern Wall 31. Thus the pontoon of this invention is self-propelled, easily maneuverable due to its combined unique keel and prow construction and is provided with a gas tank strategically located to give a large supply of gas disposed away from the water and adapted to feed the motor 30 by gravity.

This invention has been described and illustrated by a plurality of embodiments but it is not limited to these embodiments as it is of a generic scope.

I claim:

1. An integral highly maneuverable non-sinkable pontoon comprising a longitudinal rectangular tubular casing middle portion integral with a tubular prow portion, said portions having an interior bonded wall disposed parallel to and in spaced relationship to the tubular top wall to form a unitary longitudinal gas tank, internal bracing means disposed within said middle and prow portions engaging the four sides of said tubular portions, buoyant means filling the chambers within said tubular portions, and a V-shaped keel extending the length of said middle and prow portions.

2. The pontoon of claim 1 wherein the bracing is a cylinder engaging all four Walls of the tubular portions.

3. The pontoon of claim 1 wherein the bracing is a pair of spaced-apart angle irons.

4. An integral highly maneuverable non-sinkable pontoon comprising a longitudinal rectangular tubular casing middle portion integral with a tubular prow portion, said portions having an interior bonded wall disposed parallel to and in spaced relationship to the tubular top wall to form a unitary longitudinal gas tank, internal bracing means disposed within said middle and prow portions engaging the four sides of said tubular portions, buoyant means filling the chambers Within said tubular portions, and a V-shaped keel extending the length of said middle and prow portions thereto, said keel having a first converging portion adjacent the prow and a second converging portion terminating at an apical point at the stern.

5. A houseboat comprising a platform and at least two pontoons secured thereto, each of said pontoons comprising an integral highly maneuverable non-sinkable pontoon, each having a longitudinal rectangular tubular casing middle portion and an open stern portion adapted to receive a motor and a tubular prow portion, and pontoons each having internal bracing means disposed Within said middle and prow portions engaging the four sides of said tubular portions, buoyant means filling the chambers Within said tubular portions, and a V-shaped keel extending the length of said middle and prow portions, said keel having a first converging portion and a second converging portion terminating at an apical point at the stern thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,090,171 3/1914 Schisler 52-731 2,634,436 4/1953 Plaziak 9-6 2,975,747 3/1961 Opie 114-61 3,095,846 7/1963 Beamish 11466.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 557,517 5/1958 Canada.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

ANDREW H. FARRELL, Examiner. 

1. AN INTEGRAL HIGHLY MANEUVERABLE NON-SINKABLE PONTOON COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL RECTANGULAR TUBULAR CASING MIDDLE PORTION INTEGRAL WITH A TUBULAR PROW PORTION, SAID PORTIONS HAVING AN INTERIOR BONDED WALL DISPOSED PARALLEL TO AND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE TUBULAR TOP WALL TO FORM A UNITARY LONGITUDINAL GAS TANK, INTERNAL BRACING MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID MIDDLE AND PROW PORTIONS ENGAGING THE FOUR SIDES OF SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS, BUOYANT MEANS FILLING THE CHAMBERS WITHIN SAID TUBULAR PORTIONS, AND A V-SHAPED KEEL EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID MIDDLE AND PROW PORTIONS. 